Did you know it’s okay in Massachusetts for a 16 -year-old to enter into a consensual sexual relationship with her/his teacher, or any adult as long as that adult is not more than 10 year older than they are?
A local family was disgusted to learn this when they discovered in 2013 their 16-year-old daughter was wooed into a relationship with Charles (Chuck) Mattie, 26, formerly of Hopedale. Mattie was her Special Education Aide at Blackstone Valley Tech High School in Upton (BVT).
Mattie’s relationship with the victim was discovered by BVT’s administrative staff through a photo posted on social media. The photo of Mattie and the victim kissing was being viewed by students during school. According to the victim’s mom, the school contacted her immediately.
BVT Superintendent Dr. Michael F. Fitzpatrick said, “Blackstone Valley Tech is an environment which has no tolerance whatsoever for behavior of this nature. Mr Mattie worked briefly with us as an aide before accepting employment with the Northbridge School System. In situations like this we are fortunate to have a police and legal network which functions cooperatively and cohesively.”
The parents were pleased with the way BVT and the Upton Police Department handled the situation. The matter was then referred to Hopedale Police for further investigation.
The victim, in a statement to the police, reported lascivious photos and video were taken of her by Mattie on his phone. The Hopedale Police obtained a search warrant at the time but were unable to find the photos/video.
Although no pictures were discovered during the search the parents continued to fight for their daughter. “She is not the same girl because of what happened and isn’t able to have a normal relationship,” said the victim’s mom.
According to the family, they had strict household rules and could not believe this was going on without their knowledge. They later learned their daughter was being coached, by Mattie, on how to get around house rules. They also learned that Mattie had introduced their daughter to his family as his 21-year-old girlfriend. “She was 16, how could his mother not have known,” said the victim’s mom.
In the fall of 2014 several lascivious photos of the victim with a male surfaced. The photos were taken in 2013 and according to the victim were taken by Mattie. The family handed the photos over to the Upton Police Department. Hopedale Police said the room in the photos was very similar to Mattie’s bedroom.
On Monday, July 27, 2015 Mattie pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in Milford District Court. Mattie stipulated to facts presented to the court which included a consensual sexual relationship with a 16 year old student while employed as a 26-year-old Special Education Teacher at Blackstone Valley Tech High School and lascivious photos and video of the victim.
According to Mass State Law the nature of their relationship was not an issue, however the photos and video were.
Judge Robert Calagione sentenced Mattie to five years probation with gps monitoring. Mattie’s sentence also includes that he register as a sex offender, surrender his teacher’s license, and that he not take a job working with children under the age of 18.
Prior to sentencing, the victim’s mom said in an impact statement, “You have done irreparable damage to our daughter…..You were supposed to be shaping the minds of the young not warping them. You continue on with your life as if your judgement call wasn’t out of whack. While we try to pick up the pieces, while we try to right a serious wrong. All while our state laws still don’t seem to be in line either. As it’s still wrong that a 16-year-old can be responsible for sleeping with an adult. Yet, she cannot purchase cigarettes, work a fryolator, or meat slicer…..Your honorable judge, I ask when you consider sentencing Charles Mattie on the SORB you think of how horrific these photos were…..”
The victim’s family plans on working to bring forward change to the state laws.
Related stories – https://t.co/AwST79bJRn and http://www.milforddailynews.com/article/20150728/NEWS/150726656
UPTON DAILY 
Reading this story makes me sick. 10 years older than her? She is just a kid. Teachers shouldnt have sex with their students. Sounds like KROGER doesn’t have a daughter or is a relative. Teachers should know better, so should preachers and coaches and anyone a child goes to for guidence. You look foolish KROEGER. “Two to tango” your sick from all the stories reported she was in a special ed class. Also, what is he doing with photos and video of her? Gross! I hope for that girls sake he didn’t share them. By the way what is “gone too far”? In some states if you touched anyone under 18 you would immediately go to jail, not probation. Big deal, probation!! I wonder uf hell be able to keep his nose clean for a mere 5 years! Your a sicko KROEGER. I hope my niece never meets you anywhere, never know what you might do to her if you think this is o.k.
He made a STUPID decision. But come on, child pornography?! its not like she was 6. They threw the book at him. Does he deserve probation. Absolutely. But having to register as a sex offender? Give me a break.
Sounds like he got off easy if you ask me, could have fought it, been indicted, gone to jail, paid huge fines and still gotten what he got. You make a mistake once and learn, it’s not a mistake if he did it over and over and manipulated and coached the kid. What do you think he was doing with a video of a minor posed other than watching it over and over and sharing it? Are you not reading the part about him being her special education teacher? Stupid doesn’t cover it if he was targeting a girl with some sort of disability. That’s not right. Get these sickos under control before something worse happens. Nasty. The bottom line is simple really though, if you don’t want the “book thrown” at you don’t do things that you know are illegal, like sleeping with/video graphing your under aged special education student and Wallah! You don’t get into trouble.
The laws are what they are. Pornography is pornography. Charge for that is probation, sex offender registration. Not stand in the corner for an hour until he’s thought about what he did. What makes him exempt from that if others have to be on it? Maybe, he will stick to dating women not little girls. Actually as I read the law it also comes with a sentence for jail so he should consider himself lucky. It’s not like he pissed in public or pulled his pants down it’s pornography.
You mean how dare he be charged for the crimes he committed!? How dare his punishment for his crimes be by the book?!
“As it’s still wrong that a 16-year-old can be responsible for sleeping with an adult.”. As well they should. That is what the State of MA says. They can also drive, work, get married, form criminal intent, be prosecuted as an adult. The fact that this was a teaching setting makes it inappropriate. Really nothing more.
Dear mom – unless there was force involved maybe it is time for your 16 year old daughter to realize that she was a part of this and at some point it takes two to tango. Personal responsibility is a wonderful thing.
Under 18 is considered a minor, regardless of the age of consent. That being said if you photograph a minor having sex (knowing she was a minor which makes it worse) then you are making child pornography, which is what the family went for.
1. He was her special education teacher (that’s messed up as he knew there was some degree of disability)
2. He had a sexual relationship with her and she was his student (he should have known that was wildly inappropriate, and did)
3. He knew she was under 18 (red flag she was a child and he was not again he knew that was incredibly wrong)
4. He photogrphed/videographer the sex acts (he knew that was child pornography)
Anyone who thinks any of these are okay should have their head checked because it’s common sense you don’t do things like this. He made her meet out of state and manipulated her telling her she wasn’t allowed to tell anyone. He deserves everything he is getting I’m sorry that you only see it as wrong because he was a teacher. Let me just ask, would you have sex with a sixteen year old girl and it? If your answer is yes you are just as sick, but if he could look at one student that way imagine how many other (probably younger too) students he looked at that way. Do you think he would not attempt it again if he got away with it? People like that, that look at kids and lust for them don’t grow out of that phase. She could barely even drive a car. So disgusting.
Kroeger, You sound as though this may be something you are capable of doing? If you think just because the law is correct you should sit down and rethink that. There are many laws in Massachusetts that are POORLY written and enforced and need overhauling. Explain to me how this seems just fine but, you need to be 25 to rent a car? Are you related to this criminal? I only ask that because instead of thinking that about the facts like how he manipulated her, story said his phone lock was her birth date, he told her to meet him out of state so he wouldn’t be recognized and much more….sounds very much like he had control. That is something that happens when an ADULT is working a CHILD or a PERSON who is UNABLE to MAKE THEIR OWN judgement calls. Let’s just put it this way, If I had children I wouldn’t want them around you. Maybe, your computer should be checked!!!
Yup. That’s the age of consent in Massachusetts.
Again, if you would read my above post, the charges were for child pornography not the relationship. Had he not been an idiot and taken the pornography he would have not been charged but he did, regardless of the fact that she was a child, his special education student and under 18, all of which are still incredibly disturbing details. No grown adult should look at a child who can barely drive and even consider having that kind of inappropriate relationship, never mind photograph the child in the nude. Common sense people, he knew what he was doing, that fault was his own as he should not have allowed that to happen.